Free speech and bigotry, from "THE ADVOCATE"

March 03, 2009

Free Speech Gets Heated at L.A. City College

Anti-gay protesters have taken to Los Angeles' City College campus in support of Jonathan Lopez, a Christian student who claims his professor kept him from finishing a classroom speech about his religious beliefs and opposition to same-sex marriage.

Lopez has sued the Los Angeles Community College District, claiming he was discriminated against because of his religious views.

On Monday, a half dozen people turned out on the campus to show their support for Lopez -- and their opposition to gays and lesbians, waving signs reading "God Hates Gays."

Lopez made his speech during the emotional protests which followed the passing of California's Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage throughout the state. Lopez alleges that his professor called him a "fascist bastard" and told him to "ask God" for his grade. He says the professor later threatened to retaliate against him for complaining.

Lopez is being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, co-founded by Focus on the Family's former director James Dobson.

The teacher responsible for allegedly censoring the speech -- John Matteson -- is in the firing line of anti-gay activists. A Pulitzer Prize winning New York biographer who happens to share the same name and occupation as Lopez's instructor said he has been on the receiving end of a dozen or so nasty emails intended for the community college professor.

"Some of them threatened my life," said the New York-based John Matteson, an associate professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.


I'm for gay marriage against proposition 8 and bigoted homophobia, and I despise all this "god hates fag" blasphemous shit. But I'm
also for the right of free speech. I think it all depends on the language used by that "Christian" student.The right of free speech should be granted to all who want to express their ideas in a not abusive manner, whether we like those ideas or not; but if the student was using abusive language against LGBT minority, I think the teacher was justified. the right of free speec does not cover hate speech or slander.